The Frugal Mage

Rayven went silent for a moment as his group looked at him for his decision.

He gave the impression of weighing it carefully, though inside he already knew it was the best deal he'd get without pushing too far.

At last, he nodded. "Deal."

The rogue clicked her tongue and muttered… "You drive a hard bargain, young mage."

However, the swordswoman didn't mind it at all. She even chuckled at this since it was her first time seeing Sofia struggle. Normally, with her beauty, she'd always get the price she wanted from male vendors. But obviously, Rayven wasn't charmed by her at all.

"Not bad. You've got guts."

Sofia handed over a heavy pouch containing 30 gold coins. Drosk peeked at it, then back at Rayven, clearly impressed.

"Didn't think our precious mage had it in him… He must be a merchant." Victor muttered.

Emma gave Rayven a curious look too. They were obviously happy with the sudden earnings they obtained. None of them had even considered earning more than 30 gold coins when they entered the dungeon.

Without a doubt, Rayven's addition to the team was a blessing.

Rayven just shrugged, tying the pouch to his belt. "I just know a bit about the market… I'll hold it for now."

Drosk grinned and nodded. "Alright… Take care of it. That's also quite heavy, you know."

***

The three Gold-Rank adventurers didn't linger much longer.

Soon, they carefully cut the Aurora Bloom from its roots and stored it in a special container before making their way toward the exit.

Before they left, Sofia paused and glanced back at Drosk's group.

"That wail earlier… you'd best not ignore it. Whether it's an Elite Beast or the Dungeon Boss itself stirring, you don't want to be around when it shows up."

The swordswoman also agreed to this since they didn't want this Silver Adventurer Team to die just like that.

"Take your haul and leave while you can. No treasure's worth dying for."

With that, the three of them disappeared into the shadows of the corridor…

Drosk's team regrouped, and they certainly considered their words. Their expressions were thoughtful as they knew that they had to make a decision.

Victor spoke first. "They're not wrong. Whatever made that noise… it shook the entire dungeon."

Emma frowned. "So, what now? Do we leave?"

Drosk rubbed his beard… "I think… Not yet. We still have one more place worth checking. The Mana Pond."

At that, even Hale's eyes lit up. She tapped the side of her bag. "I brought empty bottles just for that. One bottle of pond water goes for seventy silver at the guild. Sometimes more, depending on purity."

Rayven tilted his head slightly. "Seventy silver? For mana water?"

Victor smirked. "Not just water. It's mana-infused water. Alchemists love it, warriors drink it to recover faster, and mages use it to safely recover their mana or use it for their rituals. However, the mana-infused water doesn't last that very long. At most, it could last for 10 to 15 days before turning into ordinary water."

Emma nodded. "It's not usually dangerous there. Adventurers clear out the beasts around it often, so most of the time, you'll only run into a few strays. Skitterfangs, maybe Razorwing Stalkers. That's it."

Rayven gave a small shrug. "If that's the case, then let's go."

Drosk grinned. "Good. Let's fill what bottles we can, then we'll head back."

***

With that decision, they finally pressed onward. Although Drosk wanted to visit a few more chambers, he was also aware of the danger they could face in this dungeon that still had a Dungeon Boss.

Along the way, a swarm of Skitterfangs ambushed them, crawling out from cracks in the walls. But this time, the fight was swift and decisive.

Emma no longer saved her energy as she rushed through the creatures with her daggers, slashing down two in quick succession.

Victor's wrapped sword also crushed three with heavy blows, splattering some flesh and other matter across the floor.

Drosk would also do the same on the Skitterfang or just hold them off long enough for Hale to finish it with a thrust.

Rayven, on the other hand, didn't act as he mentioned that he had to save his 'Mana.' Well, he just didn't want to spend more coins on these Dungeon Beasts.

By the time the last one shrieked and fell silent, twelve Skitterfangs lay scattered across the chamber…

Victor then swiftly acted as they needed to collect whatever they could. "Beast cores... Let's take them all."

This collection of beast cores didn't last that long since they were already used to it. Rayven even started helping.

Collecting the valuables was also considered their resting time. So, when Drosk confirmed that they had rested enough, he turned to everyone.

"Let's keep moving before more crawl out."

Finally, after passing through other chambers, tunnels, and more Skitterfangs being killed, the air changed.

The area here felt cooler and fresher…

The group entered a chamber where faint blue light shimmered across the walls. At the center, a small pool of water, and even without Mana Sense, Rayven could tell that it was the Mana Pond they were looking for.

The sight alone was enough to make the group smile. The small pool of water could probably give them 15 to 20 bottles…

"There it is…" Hale whispered. She was already reaching for her bottles.

But before anyone could step forward, Drosk suddenly noticed some movements.

"Stop… Something's approaching." Drosk commanded as everyone prepared for battle.

Drip… Drip… Drip…

Soon, a figure appeared behind the pond, and it was still dripping with water.

As the figure slowly stepped into the pond, they noticed that its wet fur was still clinging to its muscular frame.

It had the head of a goat, twisted horns curling upward… but its body was upright!

It was humanoid in shape, with at least two meters in height!

Thankfully, its eyes looked toward the pond, not at them.

Drosk spoke in the softest voice possible.

"…We shouldn't have come here."

Sweat rolled down his temple. He gripped his weapon tighter, but even he dared not take a single step forward.

Emma's daggers trembled slightly in her hands, as she remembered something like this…

"Impossible… Only Alpha Beasts and above can take humanoid form..."